Set Her Free
by S T R A Y . Y A T O
Summary: AU. She was a monster, incarcerated in a body of a human being. She was cursed to live the remainder of her life atoning for the sins of her past. To break free from this curse, one has to make the grandest of all sacrifices. And in the name of love, one human will attempt to set her free.


**DISCLAIMER:** Yeah, I get it. Citrus isn't mine.

 **WARNING:** May contain grammatical mistakes. English is not my primary language. I'm sorry. : /

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 **PROLOGUE**

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In the foot of the hill stood one unclad warrior whose lackluster eyes glistened from the piles of burning bodies lying lifeless before her. Stench of dried blood and human flesh consumed by flames filled the already ominous air, satiating the ogre beneath the façade of a beautiful woman who was feeding on the foul fumes emanating from the corpses, allowing her depraved nerves to revel on the heightened level of ecstasy.

She flicked her sword clean, removing the stains that once embellished her blade in sheer scarlet, watching her victims writhing in pain as they bathed on the crimson liquid oozing out from the deep cut they sustained from a single hurl of blade.

There was a hint of repressed laughter in her lips despite she had done nothing but to stand in the middle, her eyes drinking intemperately on the chaos she created. The once pristine land was left to serve as a mass grave for people from all walks of life, sparing no one who possessed even a little knowledge of her existence.

For ten years, she actually lived life in tranquility together with the friendliest neighborhood in the farthest south. To avoid suspicions, she adapted to the customs of the locals. She learned to devote herself in doing mundane jobs like sowing seeds and growing crops and, not long after, she earned the villagers' respect and admiration as she turned the humble place into a self-sufficient economic unit of the country.

Just when she thought that the odds were in her favor, someone accidentally saw the mark engraved perfectly on her chest - the mark that would immediately discern her as the cursed ogre in ancient lore. The discovery stirred up a mass hysteria in the village, leaving her with no choice but to annihilate the people, young and old, to eradicate the possibility of eyewitnesses.

It was already two hours since the massacre happened but, to her, it felt like minutes when she started swinging her blade to every person she met on her way. She allowed her sword to flail haphazardly in her side, grazing the surface of the land she used to till a while ago. She watched her crops being devoured by fire mercilessly as she walked past her yard while treading the soil of hell without even looking back.

She saw familiar faces on the ground, their blood pooling up to create a sea of terror. And when it reached the sole of her foot, she stared downwards and saw her twisted reflection looking back at her with indifference.

A few more steps and she stopped halfway when she heard a subtle noise resembling respiration despite the sound of the bodies burning permeated this infernal atmosphere. There, in the heaps of flesh, reclined a young girl who was struggling to breathe as smoke infiltrated her lungs, burning every corners of her airway.

Tightening her grip on the sword's handle, she pointed the tip of her blade just barely an inch between the girl's forehead.

"Child" She looked down with contempt, her eyes hollow as ever, trying to elicit an honest answer from her question before sending her to the other side, "…do you fear monsters?" Her stare held no particular interest to the blood escaping profusely in her severed artery.

The child looked at her weakly, cupping her neck in an effort to slow the bleeding.

"No" She answered as she graced one genuine smile that would haunt the woman for eternity.

"But… for once," she paused momentarily to catch her breath "I fear that I would live the remainder of my life as a monster."

She raised the weapon singlehandedly just above her head. And in one swing, a rain of blood found its way to smear her cherubic face.

Loosening her hold on her blade, she felt something unusual brewing inside her chest. The child's last words seemed to have an effect on her, resonating and spreading quickly like wildfire. She was not prepared for this feeling she deemed as somewhat foreign.

And for the first time, as a monster incarcerated in a body of a human, Mei cried her heart out.

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 **A/N:** This idea has been playing in the back of my mind for months already. I don't know what compelled me to write but, probably, to waste some time while I am still unemployed. Well, reviews… they are greatly appreciated. Thank you for giving this a shot. Will update if I get a good dose of caffeine for my body. By the way, please ignore the title. I can't think of a good one. : /


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